Air conditioning system



Dec. 29, 1959 A. HOFFMAN AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Filed June 18, 1957 United States Patent AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Leon A. Hoffman, Paris, France Application June 18, 1957, Serial No. 666,450

3 Claims. (Cl. 257-124) The present invention relates to improved constructional arrangements for heating panels such as heating ceilings.

It is well known that heating ceilings use a flow of heating fluids at temperatures relatively low, for example within 70 to 90 C. in the case of a water flow.

Great difliculties have been encountered for providing an eflicient radiation of the heat brought through the tubes carrying the circulation fluid and in particular for providing a measure of uniformity of radiation of the ceiling surface or heating panel without resorting to expensive devices or to devices the mechanical construction of which would be difiicult, in particular their mounting would be complicated.

One object of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks.

Another object of the invention is to supply a simple and eflicient construction providing at the same time a support for the tubes carrying the heating fluid, for facilitating the connections of panels constituting the wall or the heating ceiling and for providing a very satisfactory radiation of the heat brought about by the heating fluid.

According to another feature of the invention, there is provided a supporting device of this type constituted by a sheet iron folded in such a way as to surround at least in part the tube carrying the heating fiuid whilst leaving on either side of this tube, for example along a diameter thereof, two bands of sheet iron capable of being folded in order to be suitably bent and hung, one one of these bands to one or two elements of the heating ceiling and the other band to a supporting member of the assembly tube and element, or elements of ceiling or of heating panel.

According to another feature of the invention, a device for uniting and for supporting ceiling or heating panels is constituted by a sheet iron folded in order to provide in cross-section a base plate of substantial dimension carrying two inclined branches, the extremities of which are organized in order to form a clip in which may be inserted the extremities of two elements of ceiling placed side by side.

According to another feature of the invention, a supporting device of the type mentioned is constituted by a sheet iron folded in order to provide a circular space of sufficient dimension to receive a tube transporting the heating fluid whilst providing bands of sheet iron on each side of the said tube, said bands being suflicient in order that, on the one hand, they supply a suflicient elasticity and, on the other hand, they permit an easy connection with the supporting device of the assembly and finally they permit the connection of the heating ceiling or panel elements.

According to another feature of the invention, the sheet iron folded in order to constitute a kind of rail in which are placed the heating tube and the elements constituting the ceiling or the wall, the bottom of the said rail being capable of being fixed to the real ceiling or to the real panel.

According to another feature of the invention, the supporting device instead of being formed by a sheet iron folded is obtained by an extrusion process and in this case the members thus manufactured may either be provided on all the length of the tube carrying the heating fluid or only from distance to distance along the said tube.

According to another feature of the invention, there is provided a fixing rail of the type mentioned, said rail being provided on one hand with a conduit for a heating tube and on the other hand with a fixing bottom member and with a groove suitably shaped for fixing and supporting two constitutive elements of ceiling or heating panels, the said elements being placed side by side.

The invention will be described in conjunction with a few embodiments represented in the annexed drawings in which:

Figure 1 represents'a supporting element constituted by a sheet iron folded in order to support a tube carrying a heating fluid.

Figure 2 represents an alternative of the device shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 represents an alternative of the devices shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 represents a rail element manufactured by extrusion and permitting the support of a heating tube.

Referring more particularly to Figure 1, there is shown in cross-section two ceiling elements 1 and 2 united by a member made of folded sheet iron 3.

These two elements 1 and 2 are provided with extensions 4 and 5 comprising bumps 6 and 7 which are placed in the corresponding bump portion of the element made of folded sheet iron, the cross-section of which is as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 represents arrangement in which the two panels 1 and 2 are united but the element made of folded sheet iron 4 is provided with a bump 8 of suflicient dimension to accommodate a tube for the circulation of a heating fluid as shown in 9 in Figure 2.

To provide a suflicient elasticity, the piece of folded sheet'iron is provided with two extensions 10 and 11 which extend downwardly from a horizontal folded portion 12 forming a top flat section. A supporting piece 13 fixed into the ceiling proper 14 may be provided and adapted to maintain in position the horizontal portion 12 or top by means of U-shaped members such as 15.

In Figure 2, the same figures of references designate analogous elements. There will be shown that the member made of folded sheet iron is constituted by two parts 10 and 11 united by a linking member such as an assembly of bolt and nut 16 passing through the vertical sections 25. These two sheet iron elements are united into the ceiling proper by any fixing devices shown schematically in 17 and 18.

Figure 3 represents an alternative of the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2, the same figures of references designating the same devices.

Instead of constituting such supporting elements by members constituted by means of sheet iron suitably folded, it is possible according to another feature of the invention to obtain the same effect by members manufactured according to an extrusion process, for example Figure 4 represents in cross-section a member 19 or rail comprising a bottom part 20 and two portions 21 and 22 constituting gripping members and providing along the rail a groove in which may be inserted two ceiling elements or two wall elements such as 1 and 2 brought side by side.

Elements such as shown in Figure 4 may be united from distance to distance-along the heating tube 24or on the contrary they may be. brought side. by side in order to be provided along the whole length of the useful portion of such a tube.

Investigation undertak'err'on the ;operation;and' thermal 1 exchange of heat in the devices shown imthe preceding figures have shown that they permit to obtain :exchange of heat between the tube carrying the 'heating zfiuidtand the wall elements orceiling elementsentirelysatisfactory.

The; problem of. providing suchefficient' exchange. of

heat is complicated; it isnecessary to give to the elements suitable relative dimensions, in particular with respect to the tthickness'of the sheet=iron employed or the thickness of, the extiusion member used as well as for' the length a of the vdiiferent portions :represented Lin-the figures described :above, this beingtgiven only by way of'schematic example. 7

The invention is not limitedto theembodiments which:

abuilding ceiling; a cylindricalpipe disposed parallel to and beneath said ceiling, panels disposed parallelto-said ceiling and beneath said-pipe; said panels havingupwardly extending flanges and a metal support for holdingboth.

said panels and 'said pipe, said support comprising a flat top section disposed parallel to said ceiling, means to secure said section to said ceiling, a downwardly extending section dependent from said flat section, a hollowv cylindrical sectionenclosing:atleast apart of said pipe,

said section being'integial with the bottom ofsaid downwardly extendingsection, and a resilient clip integral with and extending downwardly from the bottom of said cylindrical section, said clip holding adjacent flanges of said panel, said support holding both said panels and said pipe in spaced relation to each other and to said ceiling.

2. The combination as recited in claim 1, in which said support is formed of. a single piece of sheet metal, the central portion of said'shet forming said top flat section, and the'two side portions of said-"sheet forming said downwardly extending section and said clip and a portion, intermediate" said downwardly extending section and saidclip,r beingcurvecl outwardly in opposite directions to form said cylindrical section.

3. The combinationasreci'ted""in' claim 1, in which said support is formed of two sheets of metalin face relation, the top portions of each sheet being bent in opposite directions to form said flat section, a portion ofreachasheetdependent from; said flatsection forming said, downwardly extending i section; the bottom-portions of each sheet forming said clip and a portion intermediate said downwardlyextending section and said clip of each sheet being-curvedgoutwardly,in opposite directions to form saidj cylindrical section-andmeans-to secure said. sheets together;

References. Cited -in the: filev of this patent UNITED- STATES PATENTS 

